Our VOCAST Media Researchers have mapped the editorial landscape across key markets, highlighting the current influences shaping home interior and design. They have identified the current influences, rather than trends, that encompass the trajectory of home interior and design. While similarities arise based on trends, each country and region offers a unique approach and pulls on different principles in the curation of space. Each market insight is complemented by selected VOCAST contacts that speak to the themes shaping each region.

Between Minimalism and Maximalism: How People Are Redefining Home

Living in a world of such chaos, people look to their spaces as an opportunity to escape and create a microcosm for themselves, spaces that are reflective of their interests and lived experiences. With a growing number of people flocking to cities, living in small apartments and co-living situations, the ability to create spaces that feel safe and personal has become a privilege. Within this context, minimalism and maximalism are not trends but potential modi operandi; vessels through which personal taste can be implemented within the confines of small spaces, budgets, and roommate agreements.

Having items that matter has come to mean more than the extravagance of the post-2020 pandemic era. While the pandemic brought about a wave of craftiness, evident on social media with the rise of bubble mirrors and non-functional, spray-painted brick coffee tables, people are turning to deeper levels of craft, vintage stores, and independent sellers to source unique items that balance form and function, and are made to last.

The extremes of minimalism have also been brought into question online, with creators being critiqued for their “Patrick Bateman,” American Psycho-esque apartments, made up of a large white couch, a small metal coffee table, and strategically placed books. Almost formulaic, these interiors have prompted a broader conversation: what does it really mean to have a space that reflects lifestyle, depth, and identity?

The Nordics

In Denmark, the editorial landscape points to three overarching patterns: multifunctional design, a focus on the kitchen and tablescaping, and the mixing of old with new.

Multifunctionality is evident both in furniture and spatial design, with elements created to serve multiple purposes.

“I believe this reflects how many Danes gravitate towards living in the capital city, Copenhagen. The demand for space is therefore high, so design has adapted to maximise this resource.” – Maria, Danish Media Researcher

United Kingdom 

This shift is evident in interior design, where tapestry, ceramics, and distinctive objects are increasingly featured across platforms such as Architectural Review, Dezeen, and The World of Interiors. Across the UK, from material experimentation by designers in Scotland to the continued presence of heritage textiles like tartan, interiors are embracing more artisanal production. The landscape leans towards interesting shapes, layered textures, and a revival of craft traditions.

France

Looking towards French interiors, there has been a shift from rigid minimalism, making space for something warmer and bolder; a potential revival of Art Deco. This resurgence reinterprets Art Deco for contemporary living: bold yet refined. Deep colours, strong geometric shapes, dark woods, and velvet textures reintroduce a sense of tactile luxury that minimalism often lacked. The “less is more” era is giving way to richer spaces that feel more expressive, sophisticated, and sensorial.

Italy

Sculptural furniture, curved forms, and vintage or mid-century references are prominent, creating spaces that feel layered and expressive. The result is an environment that balances refinement with individuality, where design is both lived-in and intentional.

Germany 

This nostalgic energy is paired with a broader appetite for personal expression—mixing eras, incorporating patterns such as stripes and animal prints, and favouring design pieces with history and quality. The result is interiors that feel curated and character-driven rather than overly styled, balancing a traditionally purist foundation with more expressive, layered elements.

Netherlands

Sustainability remains central, influencing both design choices and content creation, with many influencers incorporating DIY approaches and cost-conscious ideas. While the overall aesthetic feels effortless, it often draws from broader movements such as Japandi and Mid-century Modern design, adapted through a distinctly Dutch lens.

The Bigger Picture

What unites them is a rejection of the purely performative. The formulaic minimalist apartment and the trend-chasing maximalist interior are both giving way to something harder to define but more meaningful: spaces that are lived in, considered, and genuinely reflective of the people who inhabit them. Craft, vintage, and intentionality have replaced the impulse buy and the aesthetic mood board.

In this sense, interior design is less about style and more about values, signaling a push toward quality over quantity, sustainability over spectacle, and identity over imitation. The home, across all these markets, is becoming one of the last spaces where that kind of authenticity still feels possible.

Petra is the French & Belgian Media Researcher at VOCAST. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Luxury Management in Fashion, and she has previously worked in PR and event production. Her interests include art and fashion.

Alex is the UK Media Researcher at VOCAST. She holds a Bachelor’s in Digital Management from CBS and has prior experience within Art Writing, Marketing and PR, and UX Design.

This article was published on the 26th of March 2026.

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